Spinning in the Snow
by revolution rae
Summary: Neville/Luna fluff. Written for a challenge, details inside. "Why would I ever want to see things like other people?" she asked, smiling.


**Disclaimer:** it's JKR's.

**A/N:** written for the Valentine's Day Prompt Challenge by bittersweet cupcakes4.

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**Prompt: **Madame Puttifoot's

**Pairing:** Luna/Neville

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"There are Nargles above your head," she said rather loudly, her voice dreamy. I felt my cheeks turn red. Luna Lovegood was the love of my life, but unfortunately, she had the ability to embarrass me. I was, after all, kind of shy and average. I didn't like to stand out. Luna, however, seemed to go out of her way to be different. "Does your brain feel fuzzy yet?"

I rubbed a hand over my eyes. "Luna, come on. It's just a restauraunt," I told her. She knew how I felt about making scenes, and there were already people at other tables looking at us. "Please. Not today?"

She smiled, that up-in-the-clouds, toothy grin that I liked so much. "Why not today? It's not a very nice day, you know. It's named after a man who was killed."

I frowned. "Yeah, but we've made it into a celebration. Can't you just see it that way?" I felt bad about asking her to change. I didn't want her to change. I loved her just the way she was. Just sometimes it got tiring, to be stared at by other people for being with someone so... so _out there_.

"Why would I ever want to see it like everyone else does?" she asked, her eyes wide, and I shut my eyes briefly. "I mean, look at other people's idea of romance." She gestured around the little cafe with a sweeping motion of her hands, the smile suddenly falling off her face. I took a look around, accomadating her.

Madame Puttifoot's was an explosion of pink, lacy things. It was rather disgusting and very girly. There were songbirds fluttering about and far too much glitter was blowing around the room, settling in people's hair. And, of course, it was full of other couples celebrating Valentine's Day. Happy couples, mostly young Hogwarts students. There were a few people I knew from my own years attending the school: Harry and Ginny sat in a corner, all over each other. Ron was sitting by himself, presumably because Hermione had stormed out angrily. Cho Chang was with Cormac McLaggen (and they deserved each other!), and I also saw an ex-Ravenclaw I didn't recognize with Gregory Goyle.

"Look, I'm sorry I brought you here, Luna," I said, an edge of bitterness in my voice. "I just wanted it to be a special day. We've been together for almost four years, you know." I didn't know why I'd thought the gooey place was a good idea. I knew Luna didn't like cliches as a general rule, and I'd never taken her here before. But for some reason I did, and now I'd have to deal with my own stupid mistake.

But her big eyes softened as if she could see what I was thinking. And maybe she could - it wouldn't be the first time she seemed to read my mind. "Neville," she whispered, taking my hand under the table. I looked down, ashamed of myself for being so rude to her. I'd been with her for years; usually I loved her abnormality. "Neville, you don't have to apologize. I know you sometimes want somebody not like me. Sometimes, I wish I was more like Hannah Abbot or Hermione Granger or Daphne Greengrass."

I shook my head. "Don't," I said firmly, not letting her finish. "If you were like them, you wouldn't be so... erm... magical." I wasn't the most romantic bloke, but I meant the things I said. "You're already, you know, perfect. Beautiful. Funny. Smart. Creative. Different. You know." I felt my cheeks turning furiously red.

Luna's smile returned. "I know. I don't really want to be like them. Only sometimes. So I can come to places like this with you and see the flowers, not the Nargles."

"Don't look at the flowers," I told her, laughing. "They're really very ugly."

She burst into her charming laughter. "Let's leave, Neville. This place is too romantic."

"It's cold outside, though!" I reminded her. But she was already standing, abandoning her coffee, and rushing outside into the snow. I shook my head, chuckling to myself, trying to ignore the many eyes I could feel on me. I placed some money quietly on the table and, waving good-bye to the people I knew, followed Luna out into the windy February air.

I paused at the door, watching her. She had pulled down her hood and tilted her head back, looking up into the sky and gently falling snow. She spun in circles with her tongue out, laughing like a child. She was absolutely beautiful in that moment, with her wild curly hair and innocent love for nature.

She stopped, looked at me. "Come on!" she cried out to me, joy on every feature. I hesitated for half a second, then joined her in the middle of the road, twirling. For once, I didn't care about the passerby who would look at me.

In that moment, spinning around outside Madame Puttifoot's, it was all about me and her and love and snow and what could come to pass. I wrapped her in my arms and we whirled around together, dancing to music no one else could hear.

It was truly magic.


End file.
